New Studies Reveal Generational Divide in Gender Attitudes in Georgia

Two new studies on gender attitudes and social norms in Georgia reveal shifting perceptions and a growing generational divide. While younger Georgians increasingly support gender equality in work, pay, and household duties, traditional views on women’s family roles persist in older generations. The studies also highlight structural barriers to women’s political participation. The findings were presented at the “Gender Equality Perceptions in Georgia” conference on March 18, hosted by UNFPA Georgia, UNDP Georgia, and UN Women Georgia with support from Swedish-Sida and Swiss-SDC.

“While 57.5% of respondents believe a woman’s primary responsibility is to care for her family, an even higher percentage (62%) recognise that Georgia would benefit from increased women’s participation in politics and decision-making,” UNDP said, highlighting that the research showed mixed views on gender roles.

Both studies confidently conclude that the younger generation has more progressive views on gender.

Research: “Men, Women, and Gender Relations in Georgia”

The “Men, Women, and Gender Relations in Georgia: Public Perceptions and Attitudes,” study, was commissioned by UNDP and UNFPA, “with support from Sweden as part of the Sweden-funded UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality.” The research was conducted by the Institute of Social Studies and Analysis (ISSA), which provides a 12-year perspective, comparing 2024 findings with 2013 and 2019 data.

The 2024 study surveyed 2,408 respondents and held focus group discussions across five regions of Georgia.

Domestic roles: The study highlights that gender roles in household chores “remain largely divided by gender,” with women shouldering the majority of childcare and domestic tasks. However, 40% of both men and women report that they share childcare responsibilities equally. Satisfaction with the distribution of domestic roles has increased since 2019 for both women (77%) and men (85%). Nearly half of women (47%) and men (69%) “believe that men should have ultimate decision-making authority in the household and that a wife should not challenge this role.” This marks a significant shift in women’s attitudes, rising from 34% in 2019, with men’s attitude data being essentially the same.

Inheritance Rights: Support for equal inheritance rights has declined among men, dropping from 60.6% in 2019 to 51.5% in 2024, while more women support equal inheritance rights than before.

Business & Leadership: While nearly half of respondents believe men and women can be equally successful business leaders, a gender gap persists. Women’s confidence in female leadership has increased from 56% in 2019 to 62% in 2024, while men’s confidence has declined from 54% to 44%.

Political Participation: Support for women in political leadership is growing. The percentage of men supporting gender quotas in elections increased from 44.4% in 2019 to 54.1% in 2024. Overall, 62% of respondents believe that Georgia would benefit from greater female participation in politics.

Generational Divide: Younger generations are more progressive in their gender views. Among those aged 18-29, only 28.6% of women and 49% of men believe a woman’s primary duty is caregiving. In contrast, among individuals over 55, these figures rise to 67.2% for women and 76.7% for men.

Research: “Gender Equality Attitudes Study” (GEAS)

The “Gender Equality Attitudes Study” (GEAS) was commissioned by UN Women “within the framework of the “Women’s Increased Leadership for Democracy in Georgia” (WILD) project generously supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).” The study was implemented by CRRC-Georgia.

“The survey methodology is informed by UN Women and the Unstereotype Alliance’s Gender Equality Attitudes Study, which is regularly conducted by UN Women in 20 countries,” the research brief reads.

Key Findings

Employment Stereotypes: While 83% of respondents agree that having a paid job is “the best way for a woman to be an independent person,” 48% believe that men should be given priority for employment when “work is scarce.” In addition, 75% believe that women “cannot take on certain professions” and 71% believe that women should work less and spend more time with their families. The study shows that women under the age of 35 are most concerned about employment, equal pay, and a more egalitarian division of roles at home and work.

Women in Politics: A majority (63%) believe increased female participation in politics would benefit the country, yet twice as many respondents think it is harder for women (22%) than men (11%) to run for elected office. Family obligations (49%) and traditional views on women’s and men’s roles in society (27%) are viewed as primary barriers to women’s political engagement. “While half of the public (50 percent) personally believes that men make better political leaders than women, slightly more people (58 percent) perceive this belief to be prevalent in their community,” the research notes.

Family and Gender Roles: More than half of respondents (52%) think men should have the final say in family decisions. There is a disparity between individual and perceived societal norms – while 43% support the idea of men as “primary earners,” 57% believe “their community endorses this perspective.”

Intersectional Discrimination: Nearly half of surveyed Georgians (47%) say it is difficult for women to find skilled jobs, with even higher barriers for ethnic minority women (50%), women with disabilities (71%), and LGBTQI+ individuals (61%).

Gender Preference for Children: While 82% of Georgians claim no gender preference for their child, among those with a preference, 13% prefer boys to only 5% prefer girls. There’s a significant perception gap: 38% of respondents believe their community would prefer having a boy over a girl (44% of men and 34% of women perceive this preference).

Attitudes Toward Violence: While only 6% believe domestic violence is justifiable under certain circumstances, 23% think violence between spouses is a private matter, with men (28%) more likely to hold this belief than women (19%).

Sexual Autonomy and Marriage: According to the survey, 51% believe women have control over their own lives, compared to 65% for men. 82% agree men have significant influence over whom they marry, while only 69% say the same about women.

Financial Control and Inheritance: While 79% support equal inheritance rights, 46% perceive that their communities favor sons inheriting more. Additionally, 67% believe men have greater financial control than women.

Education and Family Planning: While 88% believe boys and girls should have equal access to higher education, 69% think their communities share this belief. Regarding family planning, 73% support women’s access to such services, but awareness remains limited, particularly among men and ethnic minorities.

Demographic Patterns: Women, younger generations, employed individuals, and those with higher education “are more in favor of gender equality and women’s empowerment.” In contrast, men, senior citizens, rural populations, and ethnic minorities tend to maintain more traditional perspectives.

“Ethnic Georgians, younger people and residents of Tbilisi hold more progressive views on marriage and family responsibilities. In contrast, men, people over the age of 35, urban and rural residents and the unemployed often view childcare as primarily the mother’s responsibility,” the research highlighted.

The research comes amid Georgian Dream’s move to replace the term “gender equality” with “equality between women and men” and to remove the definition of “gender” from legislation. The amendment also abolishes the obligation to establish gender equality councils in parliament, autonomous republics and municipalities. The GD rump parliament passed the law in its second reading on March 18, 2025.

In April 2024 the Parliament of Georgia abolished the mandatory gender quotas in an accelerated manner. 85 MPs voted in favor of abolition, while 22 voted against. Prior to this decision, the Electoral Code of Georgia required that at least one out of every four persons on a party list must be a woman.

The news was updated on March 21 at 1:13 p.m., to rectify an inaccuracy regarding the institution that conducted the research, and the hosts of the conference.

Also Read:

• 20/02/2025 – ILGA-Europe Report Highlights Worsening Conditions for Georgia’s LGBTI Community
• 03/07/2024 – UN Women “Disappointed” with Abolition of Gender Quotas on Party Lists
• 29/10/2020 – EU, UNDP Release Media Monitoring Interim Reports